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Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture

Order Instructions:

Recent research stated that “[c]ompanies with an established organizational culture that includes strong capabilities for change, commitment to innovation and a high level of trust have a significant advantage” when attempting to adopt a strategy of broad-based corporate sustainability (Eccles, Perkins, & Serafeim, 2013). Yet an Ethics Resource Center (2012) survey found that 42% of respondents felt their organizations exhibited signs of a weak ethics culture with a low degree of trust and transparency. Organizational leaders should have a strong incentive to identify and address any disparities that exist between their organization’s current culture and a productive healthy one. They must understand the impact they can have as leaders in facilitating an organizational culture, determining the necessary steps to build that culture, and taking the necessary action to create a healthy organizational culture.

To prepare:

•Reflect on all you have learned about leadership and leadership theory throughout this course. Begin searching for scholarly references about the relationship between leadership and organizational culture. Reflect on the leadership characteristics and skills that are useful in promoting a healthy organizational culture. Also, consider the leadership styles that promote a healthy organizational culture. Think about the impact on organizational culture of how a leader responds to specific situations, such as crises. Reflect on how a leader might use power to promote a healthy organizational culture and how a leader can promote ethics in a healthy organization.
The “To prepare” is intended to aid in your reflection upon how the various leadership theories and other topics throughout the course relate to organizational culture. However, you are free to analyze other facets of the relationship between leadership and organizational culture.

By Day 7 of Week 7, submit an 8-page comprehensive scholarly analysis of the role leadership plays in shaping an organizational culture.

Your paper must contain ten scholarly resources. These can be a combination of the Learning Resources used throughout this course and new scholarly resources. Your paper should adhere to the APA Course Paper Template found in the Walden University Online Writing Center. The link is located in this Module’s Learning Resources.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture

Introduction

A very important role of an organization’s leadership team is to create and maintain an appropriate organizational culture. This process can take place at any organizational level, and variations in different departments are quite common in larger organizations. As much as this is necessary for the business to meet its demands, it is also important for the company to possess an overriding culture that has the capability of permeating and functioning in its various departments. Leaders are the main contributors towards the shaping of an organization culture. They have various roles, all of which contribute to the resulting culture. Organizational culture is a term used to describe the beliefs and values that have been in existence within an organization for a longer period. It also refers to the staff beliefs as well as foreseen values of their work, which influence their behavior and attitudes towards work. Leadership teams usually work toward adjusting their leadership behavior so as to accomplish the organization’s mission, a step that may end up influencing employees’ level of job satisfaction. Therefore, it is essential to clearly understand the relationship between leadership, organizational culture, and employee job satisfaction. This paper analyses the various roles of leadership in the shaping of organizational culture by looking at the arguments presented by different scholars at different times.

The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture

The role leadership plays in shaping an organizational culture involves many activities. First, they shape the culture by how they react to critical issues. Organizational culture affects the performance of a business either negatively or positively. This depends on whether or not the culture is constructive or destructive. Stanislavov and Ivanov (2014) argue that leaders can shape organizational culture by changing to a more effective leadership orientation. The leadership style used within organizations shapes the culture as it determines how the employees will be reacting in the working environment. According to the study conducted, three casinos were used to identify the relationship between leadership style and the organizational culture adopted. In casino A, the previous manager showcased a predominantly commanding style. This type of leadership focuses on giving commands to employees without giving them room for having a say in the situation. As a result of this, the organizational culture was focused on control and competitiveness (Stanislavov & Ivanov, 2014). When such a leadership style is used, the working climate may be affected negatively since the engagement of employees is prohibited. Therefore, instead of employees feeling like they belong, they end up feeling as if they are being misused for the benefits of others. With such a leadership style, employees cannot effectively work in teams because each one of them is busy competing so as to get on the good side of their leader.

When another manager was employed, the situation changed drastically. The leader displayed an affiliate style, which gave room and enhanced collaboration. This resulted to an organizational culture that featured a ‘political system’ (Stanislavov & Ivanov, 2014). This type of culture was shaped because the employees were free to air their thoughts and arguments on certain topics. This triggered a positive climate that made the employees feel free and appreciated. Unfortunately, the employees also recorded a decrease in how they competed on tasks since the leadership was not as strict as before.

Hu, Dinev, Hart, and Cooke (2012) suggest that a one on one correspondence is present when aligning top management behaviors with organizational culture characteristics such as power sharing behavior and culture, participative behavior and decision making culture, transformative vision, and risk tolerance culture. They further argue that the management has a role of shaping organization culture by drafting policies that are acceptable to employees and using education to reinforce the policies and frame organizational culture (Hu, Dinev, Hart & Cooke, 2012). The paper studies an information security organization whose employees were not being strict on information confidence. Therefore, the only way to ensure that no such problems were experienced in the future, a new organizational culture, which would focus on two components, had to be created. The first was to create a shared assumption about information security, and the second featured the education of the employees about these assumptions.

The role of the management in shaping an organizational culture in this case is displayed by the fact that leaders are responsible for the implementation of the above mentioned components. The creation of policies to guide employees in their daily tasks is the duty of the leader. The policies created need to be designed in such a way that when employees follow them, they will behave just as they are expected to. The education of employees on the various policies is important as it shows them the importance of sticking to the policies. Therefore, instead of forcing them to follow the policies, the leader will be showing them the benefits of doing so. When employees realize these benefits, the result will be that they will end up sticking to the policies without being followed. Their beliefs and attitudes will be changed, and so will the organizational culture.

According to Lightle, Baker, and Castellano (2009), the leadership team of an organization are responsible for shaping the organizational culture by overseeing the organizational ethical values. In their journal, a case study of Washington Mutual has been used to describe cases where organization leaders are not playing their role of ensuring that their ethical values are upheld. Some of the unethical activities, which result to an unethical organizational culture, are frequently hidden from the leaders until when it is too late. However, this is not an excuse for the leaders to claim their purity. Lightle, Baker, and Castellano (2009) argue that leaders need to establish codes of conduct, create ethical guidelines, and make use of monitoring programs that will help prevent fraudulent acts or at least establish an organizational culture that punishes those who break the rules. Similarly, they state that the organization culture created should also encourage and reward integrity and responsibility.

When codes of conduct are established by a leader, the employees will get to believe that the ways stated are how they are supposed to act in the workplace. Ethical guidelines will show them what is acceptable and what is punishable. Since employees are always keen on keeping their jobs and avoiding punishments, the result will be that a majority will focus on doing what is acceptable and avoiding what is punishable. All these actions will result to the creation of an organizational culture, which the leader was hoping for as he or she was creating these guidelines. When the leader monitors the activities of employees, it will be easier to spot an area that causes concern, and which needs immediate attention. This is also part of an organizational culture once employees and leaders become accustomed to the rule of monitoring.

Latham (2013) stated that leaders have a role of shaping the organizational culture through their leadership behavior. Although setting the example is a common axiom of leadership, it is even more important when leading transformation that the leaders become the change they want to witness in their organization. This means that the leadership behavior needs to be consistent with the organizational vision and desired culture. Therefore, if the leader needs to create an organizational culture that focuses on respect for each other, he must first treat others with the same level of respect he expects them to use. If this leader shows that he does not tolerate any screaming and yelling, as he himself does not use that for communication, the employees will find it easier to follow his footsteps (Latham, 2013). The same goes for the ethical organizational culture whereby the leader must first show no tolerance for unethical behavior in the organization.

Symbolic managers spend most of their time thinking of the organizational values, and how they can transform the culture into an even stronger subject. These managers view their primary job as that of managing conflicts arising value, which result from the flow of daily events. Kane-Urrabazo (2006) believes that managers have a role in the development of a healthy organizational culture by displaying exemplification of trustworthiness and trust, empowerment and delegation, and also consistency and mentorship. These components decide how employees behave within the organization, and how they carry out their tasks. When employees know how they are expected to behave, they will behave in that way. However, if no guidelines are offered, each one will showcase behavior that they believe to be acceptable. In this case, when the employee is given a specific task, they will act accordingly to complete the task. However, when no task delegation takes place, employees may have trouble completing a task since some areas may be left untouched. Therefore, the leader has the role of shaping an organized organizational culture by ensuring that each individual is aware of his or her specific tasks.

George, Sleeth, and Siders (1999) state that leadership literature has emphasized the role of leaders in articulating a vision, and in establishing an organizational culture through setting objectives and then clearing any hurdles by smoothing out the path for attaining the objectives. They further argue that the leaders need to employ behaviors will create, communicate, and manage the organizational culture (George, Sleeth, & Siders, 1999). Thus, the mode through which leaders establish and communicate a set of shared values and beliefs of the organization to employees is very important. These authors believe that leaders play their role of shaping the organizational culture by articulating the vision. This implies that culture can be created when the leader clearly and effectively expresses his vision ideas to the employees.

The reason why creation of organizational culture commonly fails is because the leaders fail to articulate their vision. For this to be successful, employees need to have an understanding of the benefits associated with the vision, why that and not any other, and so on. By setting objectives and clearing hurdles, the leader is giving the employees a target to work towards. Then to ensure that they are successful, the process is monitored for factors, which may result to its failure. These hurdles may, therefore, include unethical behavior, unsatisfied employees, lack of employee engagement and so on.

The management shapes an organizational culture by understanding employee related variables such as organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and performance (Yafang, 2011). When these variables are clearly understood, the management can easily visualize a culture that will not affect these negatively. Instead, the articulated vision in this case will be formed on a basis that encourages the employees’ commitment to the organization, their job satisfaction, and improved performance. The leader will therefore shape the culture by encouraging activities that will make the employees feel satisfied as members of the organization. This may include treating them with respect, creation of compensation plans that will meet their needs, giving them room to take part in decision making and so on. Once they feel satisfied with their jobs, they will become committed to the organization, a step that will increase performance.

Heidrich and Alt (2009) also believe that the role of the leader influences the creation and change in the organizational culture. According to these authors, this is achieved when the leader defines behavioral norms and decision making methods, as well as when the leader makes decisions that eventually affects the organization’s value system. There are many ways through which a leader can have an impact on upon shaping the organizational culture (Heidrich & Alt, 2009). First, by being a role model; second, by making use of a reward system; third, through the selection and recruitment process; fourth, by using structure and strategy; and fifth, by considering the physical setting. Therefore, as the leader plays the role of shaping organizational culture, there are steps that must be taken. For instance, the leader needs to employ strategy, otherwise, the visualized culture will not be achieved. This is because a new mission cannot be completed with the use of old organization values and beliefs.

According to Veiseh, Mohammadi, Pirzadian and Sharafi (2014), organizational culture is shaped by the leadership role of transforming employees. This is because transformational leadership has been linked to how leaders encourage employees to perform better as well as to prepare reliable paths for new organizations. This is because this type of leadership is formed on a basis of four aspects: One, purposeful influence; two, intellectual encouragement; three, inspirational motivation; four, encouraging supports. By indulging in the above, the leader is influencing the organizational culture since the beliefs and values are also altered in the process.

Nguyen Huu, Yunshi, Ping-Fu, and Sheng-Hung (2014) also agree that transformational leadership shapes organizational culture. This is because such leaders are able to positively influence the followers to share their values and beliefs by promoting a higher level of intrinsic value associated with the accomplishment of a goal, emphasizing the important link between follower’s effort and goal achievement, and also by creating a very high level of commitment on both the part of the leader and follower towards a common organizational vision, mission, and goals.

Conclusion

Leaders are the main individuals within an organization who can actively shape the organizational culture. The works of the scholars analyzed in this paper prove that leaders shape the culture through their behaviors, actions, and their chosen leadership styles. Leadership behavior will affect whether or not the visualized organizational culture is achieved since employees are usually keen on how the leader conducts him/herself. The actions need to go hand in hand with the words and expectations of the leader; otherwise, the formation of a culture will not be effective. Lastly, leadership styles also play a role as they define the organization’s climate, which directly impact employees.

References

George, G., Sleeth, R. G., & Siders, M. A. (1999). Organizing Culture: Leader Roles, Behaviors, And Reinforcement Mechanisms. Journal Of Business & Psychology, 13(4), 545-560.

Heidrich, B., & Alt, M. (2009). Godfather Management? The Role of Leaders in Changing Organizational Culture in Transition Economies: A Hungarian-Romanian Comparison. Management (18544223), 4(4), 309-327.

Hu, Q., Dinev, T., Hart, P., & Cooke, D. (2012). Managing Employee Compliance with Information Security Policies: The Critical Role of Top Management and Organizational Culture* Managing Employee Compliance with Information Security Policies: The Critical Role of Top Management and Organizational.. Decision Sciences, 43(4), 615-660. https://www.doi:10.1111/j.1540-5915.2012.00361.x

Kane-Urrabazo, C. (2006). Management’s role in shaping organizational culture. Journal Of Nursing Management, 14(3), 188 194. https://www.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00590.x

Latham, J. R. (2013). A Framework for Leading the Transformation to Performance Excellence Part II: CEO Perspectives on Leadership Behaviors, Individual Leader Characteristics, and Organizational Culture. Quality Management Journal, 20(3), 19-40.

Lightle, S. S., Baker, B., & Castellano, J. F. (2009). The Role of Boards of Directors in Shaping Organizational Culture. CPA Journal, 79(11), 68-72.

Nguyen Huu, D., Yunshi, L., Ping-Fu, H., & Sheng-Hung, Y. (2014). An Empirical Study Of The Organizational Culture, Leadership And Firm Performance In A Vietnam Family Business. International Journal Of Organizational Innovation, 6(4), 109-121.

Stanislavov, I., & Ivanov, S. (2014). The role of leadership for shaping organizational culture and building employee engagement in the Bulgarian gaming industry. Tourism (13327461), 62(1), 19-40.

Veiseh, S., Mohammadi, E., Pirzadian, M., & Sharafi, V. (2014). The Relation between Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture (Case study: Medical school of Ilam). Journal Of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(3), 113-124.

Yafang, T. (2011). Relationship between Organizational Culture, Leadership Behavior and Job Satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research, 11(1), 98-106. https://www.doi:10.1186/1472-6963-11-98

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Major risks to the organization when implementing and using IT

Order Instructions:

It is important to pay close attention to grammatical errors and sentence structure as you compose this paper. you must also try to use research to support your examples. Use the resources below to help you in completing this paper. Also take note that they are a series of questions asked hear and you must clearly respond to each one of them in essay form and remember that a paragraph cannot be anything less than 5 sentences

IT Risk Mitigation

You have examined the role of IT within the organization, including its impact on the structure of the company and the ability to increase competitive advantage. But with the new opportunities that IT can create, there are risks and threats that must be addressed.

– What are the major risks to the organization when implementing and using IT?
– To what degree are IT security risks and business risks interrelated?
– What disadvantages might a business encounter from a “locked-down” IT environment, and how can these be balanced against the disadvantages of a security breach?
– Also include in your discussion the topic of ethics as it relates to handling consumer or patient data and intellectual property.

Be sure to include examples from your own experience or research you have done in your discussion.

Resources

Course Text
• Management Information Systems for the Information Age
Chapter 8, “Protecting People and Information: Threats and Safeguards,” pages 356–365

This chapter discusses privacy, intellectual property, copyright, fair use, and pirated software.
Articles
• Tran, E., & Atkinson, M. (2002). Security of personal data across national borders. Information Management & Computer Security, 10 (5). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

This article discusses how national laws regarding personal data can impact transnational companies.
• Halliday, S., Badenhorst, K., & Solms, R. (1996). A business approach to effective information technology risk analysis and management. Information Management & Computer Security, 4(1). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

This article connects business risk analysis with information technology risk analysis.
Farahmand, F., Navathe, S. B., Sharp, G. P., & Enslow, P. H. (2005). A management perspective on risk of security threats to information systems. Information Technology and Management, 6(2–3). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

This article takes a management, rather than IT, point of view on security threats to information systems

SAMPLE ANSWER

What are the major risks to the organization when implementing and using IT?

Cyber criminality is increasingly becoming sophisticated every day. The ever growing cleverness in the hacking industry has literally become a critical challenge that organisations are faced with. A survey on cyber security demonstrates that more than 55% of survey correspondents indicated that cyber molestation and the general criminal activities have grown immensely. More than 30% of organisations witnessed negative monetary damage resulting from attacks like hacking and phishing in a period of one year. Organisations should now compete with a range of hi-tech attacks orchestrated by well structure monetarily driven criminals (Halliday, Badenhorst & Solms, 1996).

Data violations can culminate to embarrassing disclosures, the threat of clientele identity theft, and fines or legal dilemmas. In addition cryptographic keys can fall in wrong hands, granting unauthorized individuals or applications entry to sensitive or important information. Based on a particular nature of the information, the loss of cryptographic keys can culminate into critical mishaps that are likely to disorient business operations, the loss of clients and legal implications. Application-centered key control procedures present only limited security, leaving sensitive codes and information they safeguard, susceptible to assault. Propagation of fragmented key control systems can enhance the intricacies and security cost control, leading to business procedures that are complex to administer and scale. The complexity of reporting obligations can be enhanced with poorly documented key control.

To what degree are IT security risks and business risks interrelated?

As firms globally take advantage of ICT to curtail cost and enhance performance, digital data can be shared or accessed through interlinked information structures, the threat of information violation in increasingly concerned (Farahmand et al. 2005). Various major threats that concern ICT experts and business investors include system malfunctioning, disaster recovery, data reliability, which are equally concerns of the potential business threats. Security issues subsist from all assaults that include; connectivity such as; IP spoofing, spamming, and malicious programs. Such intrusions end up tampering with data, data modification, data disclosure and service interruption on power grids and even physical harms like was the case of Staxnet, which dealt a heavy blow on the Iranian nukes. In fact, malware technology has become so lethal that it can now create a physical destruction. With the enormity of such security threats in an IT setting, the business fraternity remain vulnerable especially in the absence of security analysis. Firms will still be vulnerable if they fail to implement a comprehensive security plan. As Tran and Atkinson (2002) state, business environments are fitted with some proficient security measures like data encryption, security socket layer (SSL) protocol to encode the transmission, and biometric validation that manages the physical entry.

What disadvantages might a business encounter from a “locked-down” IT environment, and how can these be balanced against the disadvantages of a security breach?

Firms that are run on heavy computerized networks would be disadvantaged with a locked down IT setting. Nonetheless, the limitation of such backdrops is the rigidity of application updates. IT experts should come in to decide a balance between practicality, fee, comfort, as well as safety measures as the “locked down” IT environment expects managerial leadership. Information and Technology experts require utmost support from the managerial that should comprehend the potential threats. By and large, implementing a locked down IT framework will be instrumental for the business. Most companies should take advantages of Microsoft Windows 2008 to ensure security is guaranteed. Apart from the Cisco firewall, online activities should be validated with SSL apart from static web server (Tran and Atkinson, 2002). Moreover, the issue of security can be enhanced by redirecting emails through virus interceptors and spam filters prior to hitting the front end substitution of all incoming emails. While personal emails should not be allowed within the corporate systems, the organization should implement programs that filter spamming and safeguard web traffic.

Ethics as it relates to handling consumer or patient data and intellectual property

The truth is that humans tend to abuse the technology per se by simply abusing the best practices. Human virus can alter how applications work, like tampering with payroll information to enhance the wage bill. This can be done by administrators on the back-end, to alter figures without any documentation. This is to say personnel represent the highest risks particularly when they abuse their rights and professional ethics (Farahmand et al. 2005). At that point, it becomes paramount to implement safety assessment in almost all structures and networks through an independent party to preclude the issue of unethical behaviors as well as practices.

References

Farahmand, F., Navathe, S. B., Sharp, G. P., & Enslow, P. H. (2005). A management perspective on risk of security threats to information systems. Information Technology and Management, 6 (2–3).

Halliday, S., Badenhorst, K., & Solms, R. (1996). A business approach to effective information technology risk analysis and management. Information Management & Computer Security, 4(1). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

Management Information Systems for the Information Age Chapter 8, “Protecting People and Information: Threats and Safeguards,” pages 356–365

Tran, E., & Atkinson, M. (2002). Security of personal data across national borders. Information Management & Computer Security, 10 (5)

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Organizational Ethics Gucci Case Study

Organizational Ethics

Order Instructions:

Select an organization you work for or one in your chosen field.

Conduct online research on the ethics of your organization and the industry it belongs to.

Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper describing how ethical principles can address organizational issues. Include the organization you selected and discuss the following with regards to that organization and its industry:
•What role do external social pressures have in influencing organizational ethics?
•How might these issues be relevant to organizational and personal decisions?
•What is the relationship between legal and ethical issues?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Organizational Ethics

Gucci

The external social pressure has in the recent past become very instrumental in shaping the ethical practices of any business, which is especially seen in the businesses that fall under the smaller communities; industries. With this, the companies are pushed into giving very profound considerations on matters with regards to the environmental responsibility and the involvement of the general community. More so, with the advancement of the information age, there has been a very significant increase in the importance of the social pressure since ideas are exchanged very fast over a very wide area, exposing the companies that may fail to adhere to the expected social standards.

According to Crane and Matten (2007), the current move is towards an ethical era, whereby the ethical awareness of the consumers towards the implications of the products they purchase is constantly on the increase. As such, they tend to align themselves towards the ethical implications that the products have, not only towards themselves, but also to the world around them, encompassing the environmental impacts of the supply chain in entirety before the goods eventually arrive at the market (Partridge, 2011).

Gucci

Gucci is an Italian leather and fashion goods brand which forms part of the famous Gucci Group, owned by Kering, a French company formerly known as PPR. The company was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, in Florence. As put across by the Business Week Magazine, in the year ending, 2008, the company made about €4.2 billion, and the following year rose to the 41^st position in the chart of “Top 100 Brands” created by the Interbrand (Bianchino, et al, 1987). As the highest selling Italian brand, as at September, 2009, the company had about 278 stores directly operated worldwide and uses upscale department stores and franchisees to wholesale its products. As at 2013, the company managed to make sales worth $4.7 Billion US dollars. It is in this year that its market value rose tremendously to $12.1 Billion USD and a ranking of 38^th position according to the Forbes list of the most valuable brands (Karmali, 2013).

As a company in an industry with a relatively high competition, Gucci has managed to forge to the current position, mainly through the good business practices that helps it retain its customers, while at the same time, attracting new ones. This move runs back to the 1990s, a period when the company underwent the time recognized as the poorest in its history. During this period, Investcorp shareholders, Maurizio distributors as well as the executives at Gucci America reined in one the sales of the accessories all of a sudden. It is from this point that the company realized the need for social corporate responsibility.

Ethical Transformation

The theme of ethics in organizations has significantly evolved over time, which, in the past was used to refer to the operation of a business in a way such that there is no violation or breaking of the law as well as the moral guidelines. However, as posited by McGoldrick and Freestone (2009), the term has undergone too much broadening to encompass the proactive efforts by a business towards practices considered honest as well as good citizenship. This is based on the expectations of the societies in which the companies operate in such a manner that they meet the customer expectations, charitable giving, and involvement in the community and fair working conditions for the employees.

The Relationship between Legal and Ethical Issues

Unlike in the past when companies mainly gave considerations to ethics in such a manner that they remained within the legal parameters, there has been very tremendous changes on the perceptions of ethics, otherwise termed as “Going beyond Law”. In the late 1990s, Gucci started to embrace the social responsibility with the aim of having a distinguishing factor between it and the other rival companies, which fostered a stronger relationship with the society. Currently, all companies have to act in a socially responsible manner in order to avoid the pressure that may develop from the public. As such, the legal issues may never exist within a company that has fully embraced the ethical practices, otherwise considered as social responsibility. A competitive company will go beyond merely the expectations of the law (Ward & Chiari, 2008).

The concept of business ethics has evolved significantly over time. Historically, it referred to operating a business in a way that does not break the law or violate any major moral guidelines. In the early 21st century, business ethics has broadened to include more proactive efforts toward good citizenship and honest business practices. This is based largely on societal expectations that companies meet demands for honest treatment of customers, community involvement and charitable giving, fair working conditions for employees and environmentally friendly business activities.

The encouragement of observation of ethics within an organization is an assurance of improvement in the success of the business since all the stakeholders will be involved in a unified participation towards the achievement of a common goal. According to Karr and Martens (2013), most organizations tend to underperform as a result of social pressure originating from the external sources. As such, these organizations find themselves in a dilemma, whereby, they may have to change their actions, policies and even behaviors in order to meet the expectations of the stakeholders, which in most cases tend to be much diversified. Instead of molding the employees in such a manner that they are able to cope with the current demands of the company while, at the same time, keeping in mind the emerging trends, they are mainly forged with regards to the existent pressure, which is current.

References

Arnold J. Karr and Cynthia Martens (11 November 2013). “Guccio Gucci SpA Wins Trademark Case in China”. WWD. Retrieved on 5^th August, 2014.

Bianchino, Gloria, et al., eds. (1987) Italian Fashion. Vol. 1. The Origins of High Fashion and Knitwear. Milan: Electa SpA.

Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2007). Business ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Karmali, Sarah (February 28, 2013). “Beyoncé Leads New Gucci Empowerment Campaign”. Vogue. Retrieved 5^th August, 2014.

McGoldrick, P. J., & Freestone, O. M. (2008). Ethical product premiums: Antecedents and extent of consumers’ willingness to pay. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 18(2), 185–201.

Partridge, D. J. (2011). “Activist Capitalism and Supply Chain Citizenship: Producing Ethical Regimes and Ready-to-Wear Clothes.” Current Anthropology 52(S3): S97–S111.

Ward, D., & Chiari, C. (2008). Keeping luxury inaccessible. Accessed on 5^th August, 2014 from: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/11373/1/MPRA_paper_11373.pdf.

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Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?

Order Instructions:

Consider the following two scenarios:

Scenario 1:
The atmosphere at a small technology firm in California is always confusing and chaotic. Employees are under constant pressure to meet deadlines, and expectations frequently and suddenly change. Despite the lack of clarity, supervisors frequently reprimand employees for failure to perform. Supervisors often give these reprimands publicly. Employees constantly compete for supervisor attention.

Scenario 2:
Workers at a business-consulting firm in Massachusetts do the same job they have done in the same way they have done it for the past ten years. Employees receive almost no supervision or feedback. Leadership does little to promote change or foster creativity. Employees rarely communicate with those outside of their departments. Employees work quietly in an orderly manner but receive little stimulation.

It is likely easy to identify which of the scenarios is less stressful. But is either environment desirable or indicative of a healthy organization?

Normally, the term organizational stress is a negative concept. The majority of stress researchers have focused on personal distress rather than on examining the positive aspect of stress called eustress (Gibbons, Dempster, & Moutray, 2008). Scholars and practitioners need to give more attention to the question of if and when organizational stress can be beneficial.

To prepare:

•Consider your experiences with stress in organizations and how you as a leader would address organizational stress.
By Day 3 of Week 5, post an evaluation of the impact of organizational stress. Explain whether you think organizational stress can be positive, negative, or both.

Then, given your proposed nature of stress, explain how you as a leader of an organization would assess and manage organizational stress. Identify tools you would use to assess organizational stress. Explain how you would promote or minimize stress within an organization.

To support your position, be sure to include references to personal experience and two scholarly resources.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?

The Impact of Organizational Stress

Given that the employees in scenario 1 were always under stress because of the confusing and chaotic environment that exists at the firm, it is evident that organizational stress had a negative effect on the company. However, just as scenario 1 indicates that organizational stress is negative, scenario 2 indicates that a lack of organizational stress is not entirely positive and that it can also have a negative impact on organizations given the lack of employee motivation. According to my work experience in several high pressure environments with highly skilled employees, I noticed that there was a lot of pressure and stress at these organizations, yet this did not affect employees negatively as they were performing way above the expectations of their employers (O’Sullivan, 2010). Although, these employees were under significant stress when doing their jobs, they did not mind the stress and it actually motivated them to work harder and achieve more success (eustress). Therefore, I conclude that organizational stress cam be both positive and negative depending on the existing conditions at the workplace.

Eustress

As the leader of my organization, I would strive to increase positive organizational stress (eustress), while at the same time limiting negative stress mainly by setting challenging goals for employees and encouraging them to work collaboratively to accomplish the work goals (Fullagar, Knight & Sovern, 2013). However, I will also keep in mind that chronic stress whether negative or positive is not good for the organization or its and its people, therefore, I will also include periods of relaxation and fun in the activities of employees at the organization (Hargrove, Nelson & Cooper, 2013). By implementing breaks and fun time within the workers’ daily routines where they suspend their projects and engage in fun activities such as playing indoor games, playing video games, or listening to music, the employees relieve stress and are able to work effectively.

References

Fullagar, C. J., Knight, P. A. & Sovern, H. S. (2013). Challenge/Skill Balance, Flow, and Performance Anxiety. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 62(2), 236–259.

Hargrove, M. B., Nelson, D. L. & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Generating eustress by challenging employees. Organizational Dynamics, 42(1), 61-69.

O’Sullivan, G. (2010). The Relationship Between Hope, Eustress, Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction Among Undergraduates. Social Indicators Research, 101(1), 155–172.

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Organizational Stressors: Annotated Bibliography

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Organizational stress seems to be an inevitable consequence of doing business in today’s fast-paced global society. But what are the causes of organizational stress?

What is the impact of these stressors on an organization? How can these sources of stress be effectively mitigated and managed? Critically reviewing the body of research on these questions may yield valuable insight that will allow you to enable organizations of which you are a part to better manage stress.

To prepare:

•Select three peer-reviewed scholarly articles, with each article addressing a different source of organizational stress. In your evaluation of each article, consider the following:

Reliability (evaluation of research methods used, theories used, and data on which it is based)
Appropriateness for the intended audience
Background and authority of the author
Limitations of the research (which can depend on the scope, reliability, age of the document, and bias)
Significance of the research

For more information and an example of an annotated bibliography, refer to the Walden University Online Writing Center’s annotated bibliography resource in this Module’s Learning Resources.

By Day 7 of Week 5, submit an annotated bibliography for the three resources. For each article, be sure to include the following:

•A full APA-style bibliographic reference including the author, title, publisher, and place of publication
•A summary of the document including the main points, its purpose, the theoretical perspective on which it is based, and the scope
•Evaluation of the source following the guidelines outlined under “To prepare”

SAMPLE ANSWER

Organizational Stressors: Annotated Bibliography

Marija Rok. (2011). Stress and stress management in a higher education tourism institution, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 279-290.

The article aimed at finding out the nature of stress found in institutions of higher learning, and how they affect the employees as well as methods used to handle them. The author conducted a case study in one tertiary institution and targeted employees of one faculty, i.e. the tourism department. The study followed a phenomenon approach focused on participants’ subjective experiences. Employees were subjected to a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. Data was analyzed using a general analytical strategy where the author compared the findings of the study to other similar studies done both in that country and worldwide. The results indicated that employees in higher education institutions face stress similar to those in an enterprise.

The author did not base his study on any specific theory but instead, compared his data to other studies done previously. This was intentional as he wanted to get an unbiased result, which could be used or applied in any other higher education setting.

Typical answers given by participants on what they found stressful include dissertation work, diverse curricula, research obligations, lack of job safety, ambiguous roles, non-transparent leading, lack of opportunity for empowerment, organization climate, family obligations, and lack of time. Surprisingly, these issues were similar to those of employees found in corporates as well as previous studies done in tertiary institutions elsewhere.

Effects of these stress factors included tiredness, frustrations, irritability, aggression, and loss of interest among others. The participants understood how to relieve stress and engaged in activities like regular exercise, proper nutrition, regular sleep, engaged in hobbies, social gatherings, positive thinking, laughter, and relaxation. The organization, on the other hand, did nothing except hold meetings.

The case study method used was appropriate as it gave an opportunity for thorough investigation and a small sample size; hence, comprehensive results were gotten. The analysis the author draws from this study is that most of the stressors found in this institution were extrinsic i.e. based on bad tourism industry performance. His conclusion that stress is an unavoidable factor is true but it is rather a shallow recommendation, and he should have offered solid solutions instead of living the research hanging.

Lineta Ramonienė and Olena Gorbatenko. (2013). Managing Occupational Stress In Human Service Nonprofit Organizations In Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Organizations & Markets In Emerging Economies, VOL. 4, No. 2(8)

These authors sort to identify stressors in nonprofit organizations in a town in Ukraine using the transactional theory model that views stress as caused by relationship of a person and work. The study was conducted on the entire population of the non-profits of the town i.e. eleven institutions and six hypotheses were formulated using fourteen stressors. Using the regression model for analysis, the findings revealed that three stress factors were dominant i.e. demands exceeding abilities, demands falling short of abilities, and clients’ needs for emotional support.

The study shows that too many stress factors were chosen and out of original fourteen chosen, only eleven were applicable. Out of those, only six had positive results. Out of the six, only two revealed strong indicators to stress. Two stress factors had mild relation to stress and the other three had a weak link to stress. The three stress factors that failed to be used were career development opportunities, job insecurity, and dysfunctional relationships with supervisor. These are normally the main factors that contribute to stress among employees. However, it could be that this does not apply in the NGO sector as staffs here aim to “serve” and not “benefit” from the work. In addition, the lack of use of qualitative methods like interview that would have explained certain responses was an oversight. Lastly, even though the goal was accomplished i.e. to find out the stress factors that are found in NGO’s, the study left more questions than answers.

Caitlin Finney, Erene Stergiopoulos, Jennifer Hensel, Sarah Bonato and Carolyn S Dewa. (2013). Organizational stressors associated with job stress and burnout in correctional officers: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 13:82

The authors reviewed the relationship between organizational stressors and employee stress and burnout in adult correctional facilities. The authors conducted a literature review and used Cooper & Marshall’s model of job stress to choose which stressors to use. The findings indicated that organizational structure and climate was the main cause of stress and burnout for employees.

The aim of the study was to identify areas that organizational interventions could target to reduce employee stress and burnout. The study was done using eight articles chosen from credible databases and journals, and five stressors including role in the organization, rewards at work, supervisory relationships at work, and the organizational structure and climate were applied. Negative consequences of burnout included high turnover rates, high absenteeism, and low productivity. Limitations of the study were many, especially that the articles selected used varying measures for organizational stressors. Moreover, the fact that this study used a cross sectional design as opposed to longtitudal design, which is more appropriate for behavior related researches is another weakness. In addition, the articles chosen were mostly from one country and involved public correctional institutions.

The authors in their conclusion recommended increase in communication between management and employees, while mild and more radical solutions might be necessary, especially when giving staff more decision-making power and reviewing job descriptions.

References

Lineta Ramonienė and Olena Gorbatenko. (2013). Managing Occupational Stress In Human Service Nonprofit Organizations In Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Organizations And Markets In Emerging Economies, Vol 4, No. 2(8)

Marija Rok. (2011). Stress and stress management in a higher education tourism institution, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 279-290.

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Systems and Organizations in the 21st Century

To what Extent are People subordinated to Systems and Organizations in the 21st Century?

Order Instructions:

make sure it should be plagiarism free and please complete it on time

SAMPLE ANSWER

To what Extent are People subordinated to Systems and Organizations in the 21st Century?

In modern times, work has become an integral part of life making it difficult to separate each from the other. Several studies have been undertaken in the field of work concerning the relationship that exists between organizations, people, and life. Several theories and perspectives have also been developed in regard to elements intertwined in work and organizations (Armstrong, 2009, n.p). Organizations have devised various initiatives in their effort to enhance people’s performance at their workplace. These initiatives have in turn sparked numerous human related issues across the globe such as work-life balance and human safety issues. Managing people effectively in any organization has turned out to be a key skill and an area of concern across organizations as they seek to have the best leaders and managers to steer their success to desired heights.

From a rational system approach, organizations can be viewed as instruments designed to attain specific goals. Earlier scholars in this perspective emphasized on the view that organizations are deliberate and purposeful. The scientific management of Taylor focused on the use of time and motion to optimize work procedures and increase on productivity. Fayol’s administrative approach developed general guidelines on how to formalize organizational relationships and structures. According to the Bureaucratic theory by Weber, bureaucracy is becoming the primary modern organizational structure (Armstrong, 2009, n.p).

In the modern day society, formal organizations are viewed as systems of coordinated and controlled activities arising from the embedment of work into complex networks of boundary-spanning and technical relations exchanges. They are structures emanating from highly institutional contexts. Moreover, organizations are made to incorporate the procedures and practices defined by the prevailing rationalized concepts of institutionalized in society and organizational work. Formal structures may be as a result of rational institutional rules arising from certain domains of work activity (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 55). Again, they may be caused by extended rationalized institutional structures in modernized societies.

People’s experiences at the workplace have several impacts on their lives that can be either positive or negative. A healthy working experience is one where the pressures on the employee are appropriate in regard to their abilities and resources, amount of control they have over their work, as well as to the support they receive from others who matter to them. A healthy working environment is one where there is both absence of harmful conditions and abundance of health-promoting condition. Such may include provision of appropriate training and information on health issues, continuous assessment of health risks, and the presence of health promoting support structures and practices from the organization. Pressure at the workplace has been closely linked to work-related stress. Workplace pressures are to some extent unavoidable due to the contemporary work environment demands. The problem arises when the pressure becomes excessive and a threat to employee’s health and work performance. Work-related stress is attributed to poor work organization, poor work design, poor management, lack of support from seniors and colleagues, and unsatisfactory working conditions. Research has a shown that the most stressful type of work is that in which excessive pressures and demands that are not matched to employee’s abilities and knowledge are valued, where there is minimal support from others, and there is very little opportunity if any to exercise any control or choice (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 56).

Notably, being appreciated and respected at the workplace is one of the lightly held values in most companies yet the most fundamental human capital needs. Being appreciated and respected remains some of the most important factors known to increase worker motivation, satisfaction, health, and wellbeing. Ethics are an important aspect of a leader (Armstrong, 2009, n.p). Ethics can in one aspect be defined as the systematic study of the morals and right or wrong behavior viewed as the specific standard of right and wrong. Ethical leadership in this sense is a two way process involving both moral influence and moral behavior. As such the ethical leaders are able to effectively undertake their responsibilities and to subsequently shape the ethical contexts of their organizations and societies. Ethical leaders should also demonstrate other characters as optimism, compassion, justice, humility, make wise decisions, courage, and master the ethical challenges of their responsibilities. Consequently, ethical organizational environments are characterized by concern for how goals are to be achieved, justice, and integrity. They guide against destructive practices by both leaders and followers.

Taking an example of Tesco Plc, the company offers competitive packages for their employee in every area of business. They also have plans for securing their employees future such as the pension scheme. To ensure that workers are staying healthy they have secured great discounts with top healthcare companies. They offer exclusive discounted packages for workers on health cash plans, private medical insurance, and dental cover to help meet the healthcare cost. Members also enjoy access to a life assurance scheme that provides financial protection to their family. The company has also developed flexible policies to help strike a balance between work and personal life. In terms of career development and training, Tesco offers opportunities for development programs and apprenticeship.

It is also important to look at the role of leadership and management as a key factor determining the relationship between organizations and people. Managing people in organizations requires strategic planning and leadership skills. Managers have the mandate to influence others as leaders and make them believe in a common vision in achieving organizational goals. They are also mandated with the responsibility of motivating workers through communication and rewards. The positions they hold come with high expectations from both the organization and the subordinates. The organization expects them to make viable decisions on their behalf and oversee their implementation while on the either hand employees expect managers to lead the way for them to follow (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 57). As such, managers are faced with various interpersonal relations, information transfers, strategies and decisions, and processes to confront. Management is primarily concerned with the optimum attainment of organizational objectives through and with people. The management task is faced with many other issues such as democracy, autonomy, and worker’s rights.

Working productively and the ability to develop cooperation around the organizational goals are closely correlated with acquiring the right workforce for the right job. A Job structure is of concern at this level which can be viewed as a system of interrelated jobs and authority. Although there is no one standard organizational structure, most companies follow a system commonly known as the “Christmas Tree” with the star at the top, smaller branches at the management levels, and the bigger branches occupying the production levels. The single trunk which supports the branches can be taken as the organization’s objectives and mission. Consequently, each part of the tree has its unique function. When all the parts are able to work together, then the system can survive, function productively, and has balance.

Primary elements of interest in designing the organizational structure are the job specifications, departmentalization, span of control, and delegation of authority. Job specification is concerned with what each unit in the organization is responsible for. Departmentalization entails the grouping of responsibilities in common sectors with the main objective of achieving coordination. Span of control is a definition of the number of job roles in each unit and the roles that require coordination by a unit manager. Delegation of authority involves assigning the right to make decisions without prior approval by the supervisor.

KMPG is a global company offering professional services in tax, audit, and advisory and employing over 152,000 people. The company is well known for their effective organizational structure whereby each of the national firm operates as an independent legal entity. It has in many countries including UK been voted the best in the various categories such as the best big company in the UK to work for.

Modern management is marked by two approaches, the contingency and the systems approach. The contingency perspective analyses the management effectiveness as neither being on the democratic or autocratic extreme but rather in terms of situational moderator variables. This implies that different leadership traits are required for the different situations presenting themselves within an organization. The path-goal theory posits that the characteristics of the subordinates and those of the work environment are the major determinants the more effective leader behavior. Key subordinate characteristics identified in this case include work experience, need for affiliation, ability, and locus of control. Some of the important environmental characteristics identified in the theory are nature of work groups, nature of tasks, and the system of formal authority (Helmreich, 2012, p. 112). In this regard, the theory postulates four diverse behaviors of leaders as directive leadership, achievement-oriented leadership, participative leadership, and supportive leadership. In the sense of this perspective, the behavior of the leaders ought to minimize the barriers that hinder subordinates from attaining their goals, provide coaching to facilitate easier payoffs for the subordinates, and strengthen their expectancies that better performance will bring about valued rewards. Looking at the path-goal perspective, the characteristics of the subordinates

The systems approach on the other hand views organizations as total systems comprising of interacting subsystems in a complex interaction with the external environment. Organizations in this sense are viewed as input-transformation-output systems competing for resources. As such, the prosperity of any organization greatly depends on the effectiveness to adapt to the environment. This implies identifying a superior strategy for obtaining the necessary resources, marketing its outputs, and confronting the external threats. Additionally, survival of the organization depends on the efficiency of the process of transformation it uses to produce its products as well as on worker motivation and cooperation. Efficiency of the organization’s transformational process is increased by developing more rational methods of organizing and performing the work through deciding how to make good use of the available technology, personnel, and resources. The responsibility of coordinating operations across the various specialized subunits, designing an appropriate organizational structure, and determining authority relationships primarily lies with the top management. A system, therefore, can only survive if it is able to deliver output that can maintain the system and be exchanged for new inputs. Organizations need to ensure that all their functions and procedures are effective and comply with standards and regulations. Systems management theory holds the idea that an organization comprises of various parts that must undertake tasks necessary for the proper functioning and survival of the whole system. Proper systems and processes enhance productivity.

The organizational side of the psychology discipline is more focused on understanding ways in which organizations affect individual behaviour. Factors that can impact the way that the human capital behave within organizations include organizational structures, management styles, social norms, and role expectations. Industrial-Organizational psychology is a psychology branch that adopts psychological principles and theories to organizations. By understanding the factors that influence organizational behaviour, I-O psychologists hope to promote and improve individual health and performance and at the same time benefit the organization as a whole.

An example of a company that is well known in addressing their workers needs and welfare is Nike. The recruitment and selection process is an integral part of the running of the organization since it provides the right candidates to steer the company’s goals and vision. When the process is successful in bringing forth the right employee for a certain job, the performance is equally higher. Properly placed employees are more likely to undertake their duties enthusiastically and stay in the organization for longer. They are a source of motivation to themselves and to others and are willing to go an extra mile to have things done. The right candidates can only be found through the right channels and methods of recruitment.

Nike’s employees are appraised annually towards the end of every year through a seven category evaluation with sub-categories. The first category is on the quality of work where employees are evaluated on their customer focus, dependability, and judgment. The second evaluation criterion is on the quantity of work. The third criterion evaluates job knowledge while the fourth criterion focuses on communications and the fifth on working relationships and teamwork. Criteria six emphasizes on leadership and while criteria seven focuses on planning. Each employee is appraised by their supervisor within their given level.

Nike focuses on acquiring the best efforts through recruitment and building on their teams through talent development. This involves focusing on the company’s future business needs and how to plan for the growth. One of the approaches that the company is using to sustain business performance is on critical assignment planning, accountability for coaching and mentoring by managers, and a variety of other innovative approaches to team and individual learning. The development program is undertaken by managers and supervisors through a five step process. Step one involves implementing development modules in their order of importance. Step two involves an interaction of the trainer with the audience and the presentation of the material. In step three, multi-media tools are used in the training session. The fourth step involves an employee filling the feedback form to collect comments and rate the training session. In the fifth and final step, employees are encouraged to interact with older employees who can share their experiences concerning the job.

This views organization as machines in which people are parts. Since in modern the machines dominate the world, people are expected to working to certain procedures and rest according to set rules in mechanical way. The machine organization is used as a tool to achieve the ends of their owners (Helmreich, 2012, p. 112). After the industrial revolution, many people lost their jobs and became specialists in controlling machines. Machine organization ensures; standardized equipment, standardized regulation, systematic training, task specialization and command language. Machine managers are taught to control and divide organizations into functional department each department with precisely defined jobs. Commands flow from top department downwards to have precisely defined effect. Machine organization works well if the environment is stable, humans behave like machines, the task is simple, and task is repetitive and if precision is required. It has some number of limitations that include: it fosters bureaucracy; it is dehumanizing, adapt poorly to change and can have unexpected, unwanted consequences.

In industrial countries society is composed of organizations with their own peculiar beliefs, rituals, rules and each influence our lives. According to Emile Durkheim, traditional patterns of social order disintegrate in organizational societies and lead to fragment believes on the society occupational structure. In short, culture shapes the organizations, and organizations are mini-societies with different subcultures (Sutton, 2010, p. 89). The advantages of culture organization are that it draws attention to subjective meaning and symbolic aspect of organizations, to shared mental programs s that create this meaning, helps in understanding organizational change and helps to interpret the significance of relations between organization and its environment. However, cultural model of organization can lead to ideological control in the wrong hands, and it’s not easy to get the complete picture of the existing culture.

The employees do not have freedom to chose, make their own decisions. They only have the freedom to quit or move on. The organizations are structured according to political principles since the concept of power, superior-subordinate relation and authority dominate management and organization. In political organizations, autocratic managers rule the organizations with a lot of power that make all the decisions, as opposed to bureaucracies where one acts according to the rules or democratic organization where the rule is how should we do it? Politics is mostly invisible and mostly evident in the conflict, interpersonal intrigues and power plays. In human systems, people have different interest that may come into conflict with other people interest or organization interest. They became political if people begin to share interest to advance their interests (Sutton, 2010, p. 91).

The human capital has emerged as a crucial asset of any organization unlike previously when the most valued assets included physical capital such as machinery. The shift has since turned to having better recruiting, motivating, and retention policies and strategies in an effort to acquire the most experienced personnel for the organization. Human resource as such is a combination of abilities, experiences, and culture that has the capacity to either drag the company backwards or make it an extemporary field of success. Numerous studies done concerning the relationship between human capital and the success of the company have proved that employees play a pivotal role in making organizations successful.

References

Armstrong, M 2009, Armstrong’s Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice, London: Kogan Page.

Donald, C, & Ralston, J 2005, ‘Supremacy or Subordination? Is the Issue of ADA and CBA Conflicts Resolved?’, Employee Relations Law Journal, 31, 2, pp. 55-78.

Helmreich, JS 2012, ‘Putting Down: Expressive Subordination and Equal Protection’, UCLA Law Review Discourse, 59, p. 112, LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews

Sutton, RI 2010, ‘Why good bosses tune in to their people‘, Mckinsey Quarterly, 3, pp. 86-95.

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The Performance of employees within an Organization

The Performance of employees within an Organization; A CASE STUDY OF OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN QATAR

Order Instructions:

The Introduction to the dissertation should set out the background to the research study and address the following areas:

The context in which the research took place

• What is the background, the context, in which the research took place?

• Why is this subject or issue important

• Who are the key participants and/or
‘actors’ in the area under investigation?

• Are there important trends or pivotal variables of which the reader needs to be made aware?

• A clear and succinct statement of the aims and objectives that the dissertation is going to address.

• Have you presented a clear and unambiguous exposition of your research aim, the objectives you will address to meet this aim and your research questions?

The reasons why this study was carried out

• Was this study undertaken for example in order to test some aspect of professional or business practice or theory or framework of analysis?

• Was the research carried out to fulfil the demands of a business organisation?
The way the Dissertation is to be organized:

You should write your dissertation with the idea in mind that the intended reader and reviewer has some shared understanding of the area being investigated, however, underpinning concepts and arguments still need to be included as otherwise the depth of research will be compromised. In this way, you will not be tempted to make too many implicit assumptions, i.e. by making the erroneous assumptions that the reader has your degree of knowledge about the matters in question or can follow, exactly, your thought processes without your spelling them out. It should be a document which is ‘self-contained’ and does not need any additional explanation, or interpretation, or reference to other documents in order that it may be fully understood.

This short final section of the Introduction should tell the reader what topics are going to be discussed in each of the chapters and how the chapters are related to each other. In this way, you are, in effect, providing the reader with a ‘road map’ of the work ahead. Thus, at a glance, they can see

(1) where they are starting from,

(2) the context in which the journey is taking place,

(3) where they are going to end up, and

(4) the route which they will take to reach their final destination. Such a ‘map’ will enable the reader to navigate their way through your work much more easily and appreciate to the maximum what you have done.

SAMPLE ANSWER

The Performance of employees within an Organization

A CASE STUDY OF OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN QATAR

Chapter One

1.0 Aim, objectives and feasibility of the dissertation

1.1 Background Information

Qatar which is a member of United Arab Emirates (UAE), and also among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is considered to have been significantly influenced negatively by the global decline of demand for petroleum products following the market glut experienced over the recent past (Qatar Oil & Gas Report, 2015). This is attributable to the fact that, there has been a decline in oil demand as well as oil prices over the recent past, which has far reaching effects on the country’s economy as well as economies of the regional nations and members of GCC. For instance, according to Milmo (2016) there was a decline of oil prices by 70% in 2015 globally, which has to a considerable extent shaken the country’s economy. As a result, this situation has caused the country to operate below its proposed budget’s threshold, which has seen the country budget run through a deficit of approximately $13 billion, a financial figure that if compared to the economy of Qatar as a whole constitutes about 0.8% of the country’s GDP (Breunig & Tse Chern, 2015; Kulkarni, 2015; Milmo, 2016).

For an economy that is developing such as that of Qatar, an overreliance on oil and gas as well as their subsequent products as the core drivers of the economy, there is a high likelihood of the prices to decline at the slightest economic shock if this practise is replicated by the neighbouring countries as well as the region (Milmo, 2016). This phenomenon would equally result to a decline in the prices of related inputs that used to produce these products, leading to far reaching effects that negatively impact the economy as well as performance of companies operating in the oil and gas sector (Milmo, 2016).

According to the United Arab Emirates Oil & Gas Report (2015), despite the vast wealth that Qatar has accumulated because of its oil abundance, the country is still considered a developing country mainly due to the fact that there has been no wide diversification of the economy as observed in developed nations. According to Byun and Hollander (2015), Qatar scores poorly in terms of the Gini Index, which range from zero (0) to one (1) whereby the former corresponds to perfect equality (where income is equal for everyone) and the latter corresponds to perfect inequality (where the entire income is held by one person while the income of the rest equates to zero). In this case Qatar scores 0.41, which is considerably high compared to developed countries that in most cases tend to have a Gini Index score of approximately 0.3 meaning that Qatar has to implement the necessary measures to make sure that income levels among its population become more equally distributed (Byun & Hollander, 2015). This scenario may has far reaching impact on the performance of employees in oil and gas companies within an organisation context, which usually includes the departmental, managerial as well as leadership levels (Aguinis, 2012; Al Muftah & Lafi, 2011; Al-Harthy, 2013; Thao & Hwang, 2015).

According to Al Muftah and Lafi (2011), in recent times a significant number of organisations have become fully aware of the imperativeness of employee performance, which has led them to embark of devising ways that are appropriate to increase employee performance. In addition, efforts of finding out and implementing the ways and/or strategies through which high performance level among the company employees can be attained has become one of the fundamental practises and decisive factors pursued by most successful organisations (Lam, Yik & Schaubroeck, 2012; Thao & Hwang, 2015). However, irrespective of the declining global oil and gas prices, the performance of employees within an organisation often stems from managerial practises adopted by a particular oil and gas company. For instance, the mission of a company management with regards to its human capital is usually, to get the employees together with a purpose of accomplishing corporate goals and objectives through efficient and effective utilisation of available resources (Mathis & Jackson, 2011; Northouse, 2013). Manpower or employees’ performance can be substantially boosted through heightened efforts towards promoting factors that are fundamental in enhancing the employees’ job satisfaction, creativity, motivational level, as well as ensuring that the workplace environment is comfortable and conducive, among other factors (Appiah, 2012; Armstrong & Murlis, 2004; Bartram & Casimir, 2007).

Narehan et al. (2014) noted that, the prevailing social demands and economic conditions have drastically changed the role of work throughout the world. This assertion is made with reference to the previous role of work, which was primarily done as a matter of survival and necessity (Das et al., 2013; Fedor & Rensvold, 2012). Throughout the evolution of human resources capital, the role of work has progressively changed consistently together with the components of the workforce (Armstrong & Murlis, 2004). For instance, in today’s workforce, work is not only considered a necessity but employees also consider it to provide them with personal satisfaction. As a result, the management of oil and gas companies should strive to ensure appropriate motivation and leadership methods are adopted to achieve optimal performance from employees (Webb, Jeffrey & Schulz, 2011).

According to Al Muftah and Lafi (2011), work-life programs and benefits is one of the fundamental ways through which professional and personal goals and objectives among oil and gas companies’ employees can be attained. Alternatively, the behaviour of individual employees with regards to attitudes and perceptions also play a significant role in influencing the performance levels, hence there is need to ensure that the right attitude is maintained through motivation and appropriate remuneration in order to maintain high efficiency and productivity (Hellriegel, Slocum & Woodman, 2011; Hu, & Kaplan, 2015). According to Hellriegel et al. (2012), various factors are attributable to the performance of employees at work place, since employees’ performance at work place is considered as the way of performing job tasks in accordance with the stipulated job description. Thus, considering that performance concerns completion of a task within prescribed boundaries, it is evidently clear that employees’ performance is affected by various factors that ought to be investigated in the context of oil and gas industry in Qatar. As a result, this research is aimed at identification and measurement of the level of factors that affect job performance effectiveness among oil and gas companies’ employees in Qatar within the context of an organization at departmental, managerial and leadership levels. The research will strive to identify the necessary variables including working environment, motivation, organizational culture, leadership and training. The study is a quantitative one and it will strive to establish the relationship that exist between the variables mentioned above and performance of employees in Qatar’s oil and gas industry.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Human capital is among the most important assets that significantly contribute to the production levels in oil and gas companies (Narehan et al., 2014). Therefore, it is important to understand how the performance of employees or job behaviour among employees of oil and gas companies in Qatar assists departments, managements and executive leaders to influence organizational goals and objectives either positively or negatively. Considering that the performance of employees is affected by a wide range of workplace factors, this study focuses on investigating the oil and gas industry scenario in Qatar in order to determine the factors or variables that affect the performance of employees either positively or negatively. By doing so, the study will also play a critical role in highlighting how employees’ performance is affected either positively or negatively by these factors or variables together with the interactions between them. The variables or factors that have been determined to influence the performance of employees at workplace in the scenario of oil and gas industry include organization culture, leadership style, workplace environment, organization structure, financial rewards as well as job stress.

There has been description of these variables in different studies and their influence on the performance of employees at work place has been confirmed (Hellriegel, Slocum & Woodman, 2011; Hu, & Kaplan, 2015). An appropriate balance must be achieved between these variables or factors in order to ensure that oil and gas companies optimally utilise the potential of their workforce. This is important because, failure to achieve this balance the workforce may become counterproductive or underutilised leading to a decline in production levels, which subsequently results to a decline in the company revenues and profitability. Since these variables or factors can either positively or negatively influence the performance of employees across sectors, it becomes inevitable to investigate them as well as their interactions to determine the appropriate combination for optimal performance among employees to be achieved.

1.3 Aims of the Study

It is highly imperative for the determination of the fact that, employees’ performance within an organization at various levels such as department, management and leadership plays a significant role in influencing the company goals and objectives either positively or negatively. A consideration of the oil and gas company scenario, various factors in a work environment are believed to affect the performance of employees. Therefore, this study aims to focus on the internal as well as external challenges faced by employees working in oil and gas companies, especially during the surge of oil and gas prices which has negatively hit Qatar’s economy. The study will also discuss in details both the internal and external variables that affect the performance of employees in oil and gas industry in Qatar.

1.4 Research Questions:

What are the internal factors that affect the performance of employees within oil and gas companies within developing states such as Qatar in the face of oil price drops?
What are the external factors that affect the performance of employees within oil and gas companies’ undeveloped states as a result of the rise of oil price drops?
What are the approaches that can be employed in solving the internal and external factors that affect the performance of employees in these companies as a result of drops in oil prices?

1.5 Research Objectives

The primary objectives of this study include:

Establish the internal and external factors that impact employee performance in oil and gas companies in the state of Qatar following the drop in oil prices.
Establish appropriate recommendations and conclusions that identify approaches of solving the negative impacts of these factors on the performance of employees within organizations in Qatar.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study have significances for the body of knowledge on employee performance as well as business practice. First, from an enterprise perspective it is highly imperative for oil and gas companies to identify factors that affect the performance of employees, which is essential in helping the companies in this sector to formulate appropriate workforce policies and guidelines aimed at optimal utilisation of potential, skills, knowledge and expertise of employees. Thus, through this study a methodological guidance is provided which has a practical significance towards oil and gas companies in Qatar to correctly develop human capital management and leadership practises not only at departmental level but also at executive level.

Secondly, the study may enhance employees’ performance awareness among stakeholders in oil and gas companies including managers and investors in the oil and gas industry in Qatar and across the world. For example, the research findings from this study may be of significant assistance to oil and gas industry managers in better understanding and managing of workforce and employees’ performance and investors may use employees’ performance efficiency as a benchmark of assessing the ability of a company operating in oil and gas company sector to create value. Also, the study is important in enabling oil and gas companies in Qatar to better understand the employees’ performance drivers, and have a more definite and direct understanding of the elements of employees’ performance in order to know how different elements can be combined for optimal harnessing of companies’ workforce potential.

1.7 Structure of the Dissertation

In overall, the aim of this dissertation is to investigate employees’ performance within an organization at departmental, managerial and leadership levels at oil and gas companies operating in Qatar with the aid of survey data gathered at firm level. Following the introduction as the first chapter, which provides background information about the research topic, aim, problem statement, objectives as well as significance of the study and the research questions; the reminder of the dissertation is organized in subsequent chapters as follows. The second chapter provides the literature review by discussing theoretical basis of the research topic based on previous studies and also describe the situation of oil and gas companies in Qatar. In this chapter, also the key terms are introduced in addition to reviewing existing theoretical and empirical literature on the research topic. The third chapter is the methodology and it describes the methods adopted to test the hypotheses, and also describes the target population, research sample and data as well as variables employed in the study. The fourth chapter is the data analysis and study findings and it presents the study results through analysed data and its interpretation. Finally, the fifth chapter is the discussion and conclusion and it is concerned with elucidation of the research findings with reference to findings of previous studies, making of conclusions as well as highlighting limitations of the study and giving recommendation for future research.

References

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Al-Harthy, MH 2013, “Motivation: A Challenge for Oil and Gas Companies an Omani Case Study”, Oil and Gas Business, pp. 1-14. Available online at: http://www.ogbus.ru/eng/

Al Muftah, H & Lafi, H 2011, “Impact of QWL on employee satisfaction case of oil and gas industry in Qatar”, Advances in Management & Applied Economics, vol.1, no.2, pp. 107-134. ISSN: 1792-7552 (online).

Appiah, C 2012, Human Resource Strategies for International Growth, Routledge: London.

Armstrong, M & Murlis, H 2004, Reward management: A handbook of remuneration strategy and practice, 5^th edition, Kogan Page Limited: London.

Bartram, T & Casimir, G 2007, “The relationship between leadership and follower in-role performance and satisfaction with the leaders: The mediating effects of empowerment and trust in the leader”, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 4 –19.

Breunig, R, & Tse Chern, C 2015, “Sovereign Ratings and Oil-Exporting Countries: The Effect of High Oil Prices on Ratings”, International Review Of Finance, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 113-138, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.

Byun, C, & Hollander, E 2015, “Explaining the Intensity of the Arab Spring”, DOMES: Digest of Middle East Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 26-46, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 15 July 2016.

Das, B, Smith, D, Hennigan, J, & Yeager, R 2013, “Situational Factors Affecting Performance-rating Ability”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 49-56, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.

Fedor, D, & Rensvold, R 2012, “An Investigation Of Factors Expected To Affect Feedback Seeking: A Longitudinal Field Study”, Personnel Psychology, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 779-805, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.

Hellriegel, D, Jackson, S, Slocum, J & Staude, G 2012, Managing: A Competency –Based Approach. Thomson Learning Inc., Cincinnati, OH.

Hellriegel, D, Slocum, JW & Woodman, RW 2011, Organizational Behavior, 8^th edition, South-Western College, Cincinnati, OH.

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Kilian, L & Vigfusson, RJ 2011, “Nonlinearities in the Oil Price–Output Relationship,” Macroeconomic Dynamics: Cambridge University Press, vol. 15, no. S3, pp. 337-363.

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Organizational Leadership Assignment

Organizational Leadership

Order Instructions:

Applying French and Raven’s Bases of Social Power: A Powerful Solution

Throughout history, people have told stories of leaders who have been corrupted by their power. The very definition of leadership as “a process by which an individual influences the group to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2013, p. 5) implies the power to exert influence. Leaders must exert power in order to lead. But they must also strive to understand the complexities of power. Research by French and Raven and by others provides insight on the types, or bases, of power available to a leader, the process of choosing among those bases, and the motivations for leaders’ choices. Recent research also explores the effectiveness of using individual bases of power in particular situations and the effects the use of certain bases of powers have on leaders and those they lead. Armed with this information, leaders can avoid utilizing certain bases of power when the choice may lead to negative consequences. They can instead choose to wield power in ways that will foster organizational success. Understanding the bases also gives both leaders and followers insight into situations they observe and difficult interpersonal interactions they negotiate.
Use this format to complete the paper.

Essay Style of Writing
Start with an introduction with thesis statement, three supporting points, and a conclusion. All essays should include at least 5 paragraphs or sections.
Paragraph 1: Introduction with thesis statement that includes three supporting points.
Paragraph 2: Discussion of supporting point 1 includes support using cited reference.
Paragraph 3: Discussion of supporting point 2 includes support using cited reference.

Paragraph 4: Discussion of supporting point 3 includes support using cited reference.
Paragraph 5: Summary includes discussion of supporting points and conclusion statement of the main topic. This final paragraph should not include new information.

References

To prepare:

Read and analyze Case Study “Three Shifts, Three Supervisors”

In a 2 page word document Write an analysis of the case study. Identify two of French and Raven’s bases of power in the case study and explain how these bases of power can be used to exert influence. Also, explain how you might use your knowledge of French and Raven’s theory to resolve one of the problems presented in the case study. Justify your response.

Learning Resources:

Raven, B. H. (1993). The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227–251.

Schriesheim, C. A., Podsakoff, P. M., & Hinkin, T. R. (1991). Can ipsative and single-item measures produce erroneous results in field studies of French and Raven’s (1959) five bases of power? An empirical investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(1), 106–114.

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Organizational Leadership

Leaders have the responsibility to act as role models in guiding their followers in the quest to achieve their goals. Various theories postulated illustrate how leaders act and should lead. One of the famous researchers is French and Raven’s who came up with various bases of power to depict how different leaders execute their leadership responsibilities. This paper delineates on the French and Ravens two bases of power; reward and legitimate power putting into perspective a case study, “Three shifts, Three supervisors.”

The case study “Three Shifts, Three Supervisors” is about three leaders that work in shifts. Every leader has his or her style of leadership and this affects the motivation and the performance of the workers. A leader that adopts to rewards a source of power uses intangible as well as tangible rewards to influence the followers. Such a leader makes promise in exchange of something (Raven, 1993). Therefore, followers are required to do or behave in a certain manner to get the reward promised. On the other hand, legitimate power is where a leader is given power by a given body to execute certain responsibilities. This form of powers comes from the higher position and there is a tendency for people to obey the position not individuals.

Based on the path-goal theory, it is evident that Carol is a more effective leader compared to the other two Art and Bob. Being a leader Carol behaviors enhances or contributes to motivated followers. She exemplifies directive leadership as she ensures that the followers understand what should be done and how to do it. She holds trouble-shooting meetings and stresses the goals of the company to the employees and as well, the rewards that comes when the goals are achieved. She is also a supportive leader as she encourages her employees and spends time with them to build their morale. Therefore, she is an effective supervisor in the company. She also to some extend uses legitimate power because, she has been given the position by the managers and is answerable to them. On the other hand, the other two supervisors, Art and Bob do not demonstrate directive leadership. Their group or followers are not motivated and this is attributed to the way they interact and execute their responsibilities as leaders. Art leadership approach is more task- oriented and this makes the followers more bored. Even though to some extend Bob exemplifies supportive leadership style, the followers lack direction on what they should do. They therefore lack focus and this affects their ability to achieve the goals set. Perhaps it is wise for Art and Bob to engage and interact with their followers and as well, use rewards to motivate their employees.

It is therefore, evident that these two bases of power; reward and legitimate can be used to exert influence on the followers. A leader endowed with legitimate power is able to use the powers to trigger changes in an organization. For instance, a police officer is given legitimate power from his office and is required to execute his roles in line with the power given to him by the state. Reward power is also used to influence followers especially to trigger positive results. Leaders can make promises to trigger hard work and as well to punish those that fail to achieve the set targets. French and Raven theory can as well be used to solve some of the problems in the case. For instance, the problem of Bob of failure to motivate and offer direction to his followers can be corrected if he acquires more skills and information about various ways to motivate employees and as well to show them direction.

In summary, leaders can use different leadership bases to execute their responsibilities. French and Raven’s leadership bases; reward and legitimate power can be used to lead and influence followers. Carol is one of the supervisor and a leader that uses directive and supportive leadership styles. She is also able to aply her legitimate power well to motivate her followers. On the other hand, Art and Bob have failed when it comes to motivating and showing direction to their followers. They can apply reward power to motivate their followers to ensure achievement of the organizational goals.

References

Raven, B. H. (1993). The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227–251.

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Measures of Organizational Performance

When you are assigned a task, what do you do first? Do you think about evaluating and planning what to do or do you just jump right in and get to work? Many
of us don’t have much time to plan, or at least we don’t think we do. Some find planning boring and prefer to just get started without a second thought.
Strategic planning is preparing for the future. It is deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful. Some individuals do not realize how vital planning is to their own success or to that of their organization.
In this Discussion, you will select a health care organization and examine its performance, analyzing how strategic planning and marketing may affect that organization.

To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review this week’s Learning Resources, especially Jennifer Wilkerson’s discussion from this course’s Interactive Media.
· Analyze the Hospital Competitor Performance document that provides further information (sample indicators of performance) in reference to Waldenville profiles and choose one of the health care organizations from this document as the focus of your work in this discussion. Refer back to and read the Waldenville profiles

Post by Day 4 a description of two measures of organizational performance you would recommend for the health care organization you selected. Then, analyze how these measures advance the interests of strategic planning and marketing for this organization. Make sure to use the Interactive Media to support your analysis.
Hospital Competitor Performance – Waldenville
In addition to what is described in the Waldenville “profiles,” there are four hospitals in Waldenville. These facilities are located in different areas of
the community, and each has its array of services and distinct service area. The description of each of these hospitals and their performance in the most
recent year is as follows:
St. Francis Hospital: This not-for-profit Catholic hospital owned by the Sisters of St. Francis has 226 licensed beds and provides a range of services but
specializes in obstetrics (maternity) and women’s services, oncology (cancer) services, and cardiovascular services. It has the highest market share for obstetrics in the local service area (42%).
Doctors’ Hospital: This for-profit hospital has licensed beds and is owned by a leading national hospital company. It specializes in orthopedics,
cardiovascular services, and neurology, but offers a range of general medical and surgical services. It is the market leader in orthopedics. Fifty-five
percent of its patients are Medicare patients.
Twin Rivers Community Hospital: This small, non-profit hospital provides general acute care inpatient services. It has a small medical staff, and many
physicians also practice at Lakefront and St. Francis. The majority of patients served are covered under commercial insurance. The facility is operating in a
negative financial position.

Lakefront Regional Medical Center: This regional referral hospital has 320 beds and is the oldest non-profit facility in Waldenville. It offers a range of
inpatient and outpatient services. It specializes in cardiovascular services, oncology series, and obstetrics (maternity) and women’s services. It has
established a number of primary care clinics throughout Waldenville and the region. It is the market leader for inpatient admissions in the community.

The community is projected to increase its population by 15% to 270,000 by the year 2018. Most growth is projected to occur in the age 65+ cohort. In
addition, developers have announced the building of three housing communities that will cater to the older adult population. Therefore, an in-migration of
older adults is expected in addition to the projected population increase as indicated by the state population studies office.

Table 1—Summary Performance Data for Hospitals in Waldenville, Latest Year
St. Francis Doctors’ Twin Rivers Lakefront.

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Health Organization Case Study

Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.). ****I Prefer United Healthcare**** more info on the organization’s webpage.

As an Example Review “Singapore Airlines Case Study.” Prepare a 1,000-1,250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected. Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. Airlines Case Study (student paper)

Singapore Airlines was created in 1972 following a separation from Malaysian Airlines. In the wake of reorganization, Singapore Airlines undertook aggressive growth, investing and trading to maximize profitability and expand market share. Through this change, a new company philosophy emerged, ?Success or failure is largely dictated by the quality of service it provides? (Wyckoff, 1989). By reinventing the company infrastructure and introducing new initiatives focused on excellence in customer service, Singapore Airlines became a global leader in the service industry, elevating existing standards among competitors. Evaluation of Workforce Management Program The strategy widely utilized by Singapore Airlines to ensure differentiation in an increasingly competitive market was its attention to in-flight service. ? Good flight service [was] important in its own right and is a reflection of attention to detail throughout the airline? (Wyckoff, 1989). This statement perpetuated the belief that excellence in service was directly tied to the careful selection and individual performance of in-flight crews charged with the responsibility of fulfilling the needs of individual passengers and exuding the levels of service demanded by the organization. Applicants destined to work as flight stewards were drawn from a very young population, typically spanning the ages of 18-25 years of age with high school equivalency against the English system of education. Selection of applications was competitive largely due to the degree of skill, poise, and experience required of its candidates. These policies led to the on-boarding of a highly skilled and youthful workforce with positive attitudes and a willingness to be trained. Critique of this approach revealed several disadvantages. The most significant being the potential for greater turnover when hiring a younger population as opposed to an older, more experienced crew. Experience alone would play some role in the development of new employees, as greater experience would bring greater poise and confidence. However, in light of the predominant population Singapore Airlines catered to, a younger in-flight crew would remedy the awkwardness likely to be encountered by older clients being served by older crew members. In addition, a younger crew would likely be more accepting of new procedures and less cynical of the requirements of employment. In light of the young demographic most desired in this role, recruitment, training and ?conversion? processes were both stringent and comprehensive. All aspects of in-flight service, including training related to terminology, amenities and food preparation were provided in great detail, as were training for emergency preparedness and response to every potential scenario encountered in the air and on the ground. Formalized on-boarding, training and continued development were the hallmarks of the comprehensive workforce program. Even well into a crew member?s employment, on-going training and cyclical evaluation provided a mechanism for employees to be aware of individual performance and gain exposure to methods of continuous improvement. With an on-going plan of evaluation, communication, and development, the workforce was well-positioned for high levels of performance and quality improvements. Though it would seem that Singapore Airlines? work management program suited the organization well, it greatly narrowed the pool of applicants and kept many, well-qualified and experienced candidates from positions that would create diversity among the largely homogeneous workforce and place the organization in a better position to serve populations whose ethnic origins were not of Asian descent. If the organization aims to be the leader in an increasingly global marketplace, the workforce must mirror the diverse needs and perceptions of the greater population. Advertising Campaign Singapore Airlines is known in the airline industry for its quality of service. This emphasis on customer service and customer satisfaction is largely reflective of the Asian culture for which the company embodies. Attention to detail, impeccable presentation, and care for others are traits synonymous with countries of Asian heritage. Similarly, Asian countries revere conservatism, organization and hierarchy (Allik, n.d.) so, it would follow that young Asian individuals demonstrate the same gracious, caring behaviors to others. The expectation of ?gentle, courteous service? is consistent with these norms and with the approaches taken by the organization. So much are these standards and stereotypes linked to Asian culture and the epitome of service, that the symbol applied to the airline is that of a young Asian woman. This image is resoundingly more beguiling and traditional, recognized by nearly 50% of consumers over typical marketing imparted by competitors, with a marginal recognition of 9.6%. In light of the positive impact and recognition of the existing marketing campaign, it was considered advisable to retain the current marketing strategy. Systems for Measuring Service Quality Singapore Airlines has two primary components involved in measuring service quality. The first is a system to measure customer complaints and compliments for every 10,000 passengers. The second measurement is a comparative rating of airline services prepared by the International Research Associates (INRA). The first component, customers? complaints and compliments, stayed relatively the same despite rapid organizational expansion. This type of analysis has shown a generally high satisfaction level, but could be skewed due to the vast areas the complaints and compliments could cover; from ticket sales and baggage areas to in-flight crews. To address this concern the complaints were split between the areas. However, to get an accurate barometer of customer satisfaction, it was recommended that the airline conduct routine surveys of customers. Often, customers submitting comments fell into one of two categories; those having complaints or those having compliments. The second component to gauge customer satisfaction involved the INRA surveys. The airline executives paid particular attention to these scores as they indicated levels of satisfaction among the general consumer population and identified areas requiring continuous improvement. In 1973 Singapore Airlines scored 68, in 1974 the company scored 74 and in 1979 they scored 78. The scores of 39 other airlines demonstrated that two other competitors, Cathy Pacific and Thai International, were improving rapidly. This provided one indicator of competitive advantage. In order for Singapore Airlines to stay ahead of their competitors they would need to evaluate their position against industry leaders and determine if changes would be needed to stay competitive, particularly with respect to customer service and customer satisfaction (Wyckoff, 1989). Plan to Introduce Slot Machines Singapore Airlines has responded to many changes in order to differentiate itself within an increasingly competitive market place. One responsive action was to remove sleepers, replacing them with a business class section. Reactions from consumers were less than favorable. The move strayed from what consumers came to expect of elite levels of customer service, which were in large part, due to the attention paid to the personal needs of its elite customers.

Although intended to be innovative and distinctive, the inclusion of slot machines on transatlantic flights was another idea met with considerable consumer dissatisfaction. While potentially generating a new stream of revenue, the idea only worked to incite passengers with a new category of charges.

In addition to generating cost for the consumer, the machines took valuable space away from seats and posed problems in light of weight restrictions (Time, 1981). These changes only compounded issues and introduced new problems such as the potential for in-flight injury, rather than improving in-flight services. While there was some opportunity for revenue, initially, the gains would last for a season and were not expected to extend out into the long-term. Conclusion The Singapore Airlines Case Study highlights both effective as well as ineffective management approaches within the company. The subsequent analysis and evaluation of company operations and strategies offer a compelling glimpse of organizational design and leadership amid change, as well as provide a platform for future discussions of organizational development and change management. Group evaluation of organizational design, organizational decision-making, and organizational process at Singapore Airlines yielded some recommendations for new approaches to address complaints, become more mainstream in an increasingly diverse market space, and become more innovative without losing sight of the customer service focus that has made Singapore Airlines so successful.

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